Norbert Michelisz anticipates that upgrades to the aerodynamics and engine on the Civic during the off-season will help in this weekend’s World Touring Car Championship races at Monza.
Michelisz heads into the second event of the season on a high, having followed team-mate Tiago Monteiro home in a Honda 1-2 in the Main Race in Morocco.
But like Monteiro, Michelisz knows that maintaining their advantage at the top of the championship standings will be tough in Italy, where success is all about top speed.
The Hungarian feels that he under-performed in the season opener, despite coming away from the races as the second-highest point scorer, albeit with seven fewer than his leading team-mate.
“I didn’t get the maximum from the Civic in Morocco, so with that in mind, leaving there second in the points was a good result,” admits Michelisz. “I’m expecting a big challenge from some of our championship rivals this weekend, so we will all have to perform to the best of our abilities to achieve a similar result to Morocco.”
The Honda team did not show their true pace in the official pre-season test at Monza in March, although the trio did have time to practice the crucial skill of slipstreaming – something which will need to be executed to perfection in Saturday’s qualifying session and MAC3 time trial.
“We’ve practiced drafting and MAC3 during testing and this will help us, and the upgrades made to the aero package and the engine during the winter will be a huge benefit. It’s going to be a tough weekend, but we’re a very strong team.”
Michelisz’ best result to-date at Monza came in 2011, when at the wheel of a BMW racer he finished fourth in race one.